Swiss container shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the China Waterborne Transport Research Institute, an institute under China’s Ministry of Transport, to promote decarbonisation and sustainable shipping.
Under the three-year agreement, both organisations will establish a collaborative process dedicated to research and development, knowledge sharing and business collaboration.
A designated chairperson from each organisation will jointly lead the steering committee, with a working committee in charge of implementing the activities. Industrial experts will also be invited to conduct assessments on the results of the research studies.
Furthermore, the partners will work on studies of the technical pathways and relevant strategies for the low-carbon development of the Chinese shipping industry in the upcoming months.
“Sustainability and focus on climate issues have been fast-rising up the agenda in China, and we are looking forward to closely collaborating with the China Waterborne Transport Research Institute to accelerate innovation and R&D we urgently need to reach a net-zero carbon future for shipping,” Bud Darr , Executive Vice President Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC Group, pointed out.
MSC is actively working to improve the efficiency of the containerships in its fleet to help reduce emissions. To complement the company’s investment in energy efficiency, it continues to study a range of different future fuel options such as hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and synthetic fuels.
In July 2021, the company revealed that it has joined the Methanol Institute, a community dedicated to knowledge sharing and experience building in the use of methanol as a safe, future-proof fuel.